Box or receptacle for containing small articles.



E. P. PERKINS. BOX OR REOEPTACLE FOR CONTAINING SMALL ARTICLES.

APPLICATION TILED FBB.4,1EJ13.

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

EDWARD PAYSON PERKINS, OF WOODCHES'IER, ENGLAND.

BOX 03 BECEPTACLE FOR CONTAINING SMALL ARTICLES.

Application filed February 4, 1913.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 18, 1913.

Serial No. 746,132.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ED\VARD Parson Pm:- KINS, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at vVoodchester, in the county of Gloucester, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relat ing to Boxes or Receptacles for Containing Small Articles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to boxes or containers for small articles such for example, pins, paper-fasteners, screws, tacks, nails, pens, seals, wafers, buttons, press studs, dress fasteners, and the like which are in constant use or demand in shops, warehouses, factories, oflices and other places, and the object of the invention is to provide a receptacle, box or container having one or more compartments containing the articles in bulk and a compartment or compartments communicating therewith into which a small number or quantity of the articles can be introduced for immediate use and then separated or shut off from the bulk. Such a construction facilitates and economizes the use of the articles in question, maintains a small and sufficient supply of the same for immediate use which can be easily and quickly augmented as and when necessary; shuts off the bulk and protects the same from deterioration by dust and damp; prevents spilling and scattering of the contents if the receptacle should be accidentally upset or capsized, and permits the supply being quickly returned to the bulk or store compartment as and when requisite, besides limiting pilfering and offering other minor advantages, appreciable to persons who are constantly using small articles of the character re ferred to.

The receptacle can be made of metal, cardboard, syrolit, celluloid or any other suitable material, and is preferably of a comparatively small size admitting of being readily handled and moved from one position to another in addition to which it forms a convenient package for manufacturers to supply small articles to their customers ready for use and at the same time facilitates packing and transporting of the same in view of the fact that such receptacles can be made of a size to contain certain predetermined quantities according to the custom of the trade connected with any of the articles contained in the receptacles.

1. device of the character referred to is subject; to various modifications in detail of construction, but broadly defined it comprises a receptacle consisting of (a) a closed store or stock compartment (5) an open compartment for containing a portion of the articles for immediate use and a door intermediate thereof to permit the passage of the goods from one compartment to the other. The said door may he of the hinged or swing type so that by tilting the box in one direction it automatically opens and on tilting it in the opposite direction it automatically closes and in doing so permits certain of the articles to pass into the open compartment and vice versa when it is desired to return the articles into the store compartment.

The opening of the door may be facilitated by pressing on the said door with the finger, when it is desired to pass certain of the articles into the open compartment.

With a hinged or swing door or partition it is advisable that it should move in one direction only, preferably inward of the store compartment, the return movement being limited by a suitable stop or movement limit device, a convenient arrangement of which consists in raising the floor and sides of the open compartment so as to form an abutment for the door.

In further describing the invention reference will be hereinafter made to the accompanying drawing wherein is illustrated a box or receptacle constructed according to this invention.

In the drawing, Figure l is an insometric perspective view of the box or receptacle. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same. Figs. 3, at and 5 show modified forms of the invention, Fig. 3 being a perspective view showing a double box having the respective compartments arranged side by side. Fig. at a perspective view of another form of double box having the respective compartments superimposed; and Fig. 5 a perspective view of a quadruple box having two pairs of compartments arranged side by side and two additional pairs of compartments superimposed on the first named two pairs of compartment-s.

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are drawn to a larger scale than the remaining figures and like parts are designated by the same reference characters in all the figures.

Referring to Fig. l of the drawing, 1 is a box or like receptacle provided with a closed compartment 2, and an open compartment or tray 3.

The closed compartment 2 is adapted to contain a supply of articles such as pins, paper-fasteners and the like, while the tray 3 is intended to receive a supply of the articles, sufficient for immediate use, from the compartment 2. The compartment 2 is provided with a fixed cover 2 7 To permit of the passage of the articles from one compartment to the other there is provided a door 4. This door may be hinged or pivoted in any suitable manner,

for example as shown in Fig. 2.

It is preferable that the hinged door 4 should swing in one direction only viz. inwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, and that on its return movement it should stop in such a position that the compartment 2 will be completely closed, so that when a supply of articles is in use in the tray or compartment 3 the door will, until again actuated, prevent additional articles from entering the said tray or compartment 3; or when the articles are not in use the said door will keep them in the compartment 2 and .so protect them from dust or damp. Also should the box be accidentally upset or dropped the articles will not be scattered. y

To limit the return movement of the door 4 there is provided a suitable stop or abutment, a convenient form of which may consist in raising or thickening the floor 5 and sides 6 of the tray or compartment 3.

Thefront end 7 of the tray or compartment 3 may have an inwardly deflecting edge 8 thereon for the purpose of preventing the articles spilling ver the edge of the tray 8 when the box 1 is tilted forward when it is desired to obtain a supply of articles in the said tray.

In using the box or device illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the articles are placed in the closed compartment 2. To

- obtain a supply of articles in the open compartment or tray 8 the box may be held in the hand and shaken or otherwise manipulated until the required amount is passed into the said tray or, and preferably, the

. door 4 may be pushed or pressed by the finger to a position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and then by tilting the box in a forward direction the required amount may be readily obtained.

When the supply of articles is obtained in the tray 3 the door 4 may be allowed to swing forward to its normal position and so close the compartment 2, and thus it prevents any more of the articles from passing into the tray 3 until the .door 4 is again.

separated by a wall or partition 9. This enables different kinds of articles to be stored in the same box or container but at the same time allows each kind to be used sepa.

rately when required.

A further modification shown in Figs.'4 and 5 may consist in superposing two or more of the boxes 1 described with reference to Figs. 1 to 3 of the drawings. In these forms the lowermost box would be thelonger and would be arranged in relation to'the higherbox so that the tray or open'compartment 3 would project su-tliciently beyond that of the superposed box in order to enable an article to be taken therefrom when so required. If more than two boxesare superposed it will be understood that the open compartments 3 of the lower boxes will project beyond those of the higher boxes.

The modified forms of the boxesare each used and operated in the same manner as the box previously described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

'What I claim then is y 1. A box, container or other receptacle for containing small articles such as pins, paper-fasteners, buttons and the like, comprising, in combination, a closed store compartment to contain a supply of articles, an open tray compartment adapted to receive a portion of the supplytrom the storecompartment, and a door arranged between the said two compartments adapted to shut ojfi the one from the other said do'or'o'pening automatically when the box or receptacle is and close by swinging, the floor and sides of the open tray compartment being thickened or constructed to project inward respectively above and beyond the floor and sides of the store compartment to I form abutments for the free edge and sides of the door to close against, substantially as described.

3. A box or receptacle of the kind herein described, comprising, in combination, a

' closed store compartment, an adjoining open tray compartment, and a door arranged between said compartments to open and close the communication between them, the end of the open tray compartment having an in- EDWARD PAYSON PERKINS.

Witnesses:

E. J. FUSSELL, RICHARD CASTLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

